Angelina Jolie and me only one degree of separation

Watching posters all over the city of Angelina Jolie promoting her new movie “Salt” with her living companion reminded me of a very special memory. It is a very rainy day in December 2001, a few months after the tragedy of September 11 2001. The city is bracing to celebrate a very sad holiday season, I am driving to the New York Hilton to be a special guest in a charity dedicated to the Children of Policeman and Firefighters that perished on that horrible day. For the one who don’t know, I was at ground zero that day documenting the horror from the southwest corner of the tower at ground zero and shot hundreds of pictures. One picture in particular caught the attention of a charity that asked me to blow this image, frame it and give it to the charity for a fundraiser. Incidentally, by a total coincidence the protagonists featured in this picture were alive and met me before the event and signed the image on the back together with me. So on this day, I think it was a Thursday evening; a full ballroom of supporters came to the NY Hilton to listen and contribute to this honorable charity. The event featured celebrities and familiar  New York faces. After the diner, an auction of mixed goods was offered to the public, when my photo came to be auctioned, I was asked to explain the details of the picture. Bidding started and went rapidly into the thousands, which was a blessing since all revenues went to this special children fund. After the auction was completed, a tall man, very elegant, came towards me, open his arms and embraced me very strongly. He had tears in his eyes and was obviously very emotional about what he had just purchased. I was very taken as well; the man gave me his phone number in Los-Angeles and asked me to call me, if I ever come there. He mentioned to me that this picture will be forever in his living room and that he will cherish it for eternity.

Needless to say that this was an emotional event that I will never forget. A few years later, Angelina Jolie started a very serious romance and relationship with the actor Brad Pitt. This romance was world famous and till today intrigues the entire world by its complexity and intensity. Myself, I could not stop to think about this man who had my 9-11 photograph in his home. The photograph that I took was of a firefighter that looked like a twin of Brad Pitt; he was my hero on 9-11. Many times over, people had asked me if it was Brad Pitt, and of course I said no, if you are curious about it you can read a more detailed story on my website since it is the opening picture of my website www.ronagam.com. The man who bought my picture was the actor Jon Voight, the father of Angelina. I look at this like a premonition, he saw Brad in his living room years before Angelina, and before his daughter chose him as her living companion.

 A few month ago , I asked my friend Liev Schreiber to tell Angelina the story since they were shooting “Salt “ in New York together. I don’t know if he ever did since I did not bother to ask him. But I would love Angelina to know this story about her father and maybe if I see them to offer Brad and Angelina the same picture which is now a part of American history since I gave all my collection to the Museum of Sept 11 at Ground zero which opens in sixteen months.